Brushless Doubly Fed Motor for Mega-Watt Class Propulsor Power Unit

During our Phase I STTR effort, Balcones Technologies, LLC and The University of Texas Center for Electromechanics successfully achieved all Phase I objectives and developed an advanced concept for Mega-Watt (MW) class, high voltage, variable frequency, aircraft electric propulsor motors. Our concept exploits doubly fed generator technology that has received considerable development for wind energy applications and adapts it to the aircraft electric propulsor application. In particular, the wind application is low frequency, low speed, 600V, fixed frequency, MW class, slip-ring or brushless doubly fed generator technology. Our proposed effort adapts that technology to develop higher voltage (1kV), variable frequency, high speed aircraft electric brushless doubly fed motors (BDFM) for the advanced propulsor application. Important advantages of our propulsor technical solution, our team and our program plan are:1. Our Dual Fed Motor concept is brushless, which was identified as highly important by aircraft OEM/integrators when briefed on our approach.2. Our BDFM Propulsor motor results in a 40% reduction in mass of the propulsor unit (motor, converter, and gear system) compared to other approaches (including Permanent Magnet Propulsors) and also increases propulsor unit efficiency by 4%.3. Our BDFM Propulsor motor approach is feasible and viable because of its roots in Doubly Fed Generators for wind energy applications, but it also represents an advancement in the state of the art for Brushless Doubly Fed Machines and advancement in the state-of-the-art for electric propulsor units.4. Our team is highly qualified to succeed in our proposed effort with world class subject matter experts in the key aspects of our BDFM propulsor motor.5. Our commercialization plan and transition to production plan sets the seeds for long term success by bringing on a future manufacturer as a strategic partner during our Phase II effort.